Spring-hinge



(No Model.)

A. JfMoCAULEY.

v SPRING HINGE.

No. 471,059. Patented Mar. 15, 1892.

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I "all Suva/vito@ I 3g? mi rrozmgywwr! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW J. MCOAULEY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SPRING-HINGE.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,059, dated March 15, 1892.

Application filed June 11,1891. Serial No. 395,949. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that l, ANDREW J. MGCAULEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

My invent-ion relates to spring-hinges of that class adapted for use in connection with doors, gates, dac.; and the objects of my invention are to provide a spring-hinge of this class of superior construction and operation and of such form and arrangement of parts as to not only perform the usual closing office of this class of hinges, but to admit of the same being so set or regulated as to limit the open movement of the door; to so construct said device as to admit of the door to which the same is attached being caught and held thereby at its open limit; to construct said spring-hinge in a simple, neat, and reliable form, and to produce the same atareasonabe cost of manufacture. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an elevation of my improved hinge, showing the sections thereof connected for use. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the joint of said hinge-section. 3 is a transverse section on line as oo of Fig. l. Fig. l is an end view of one of the hingeplates. Fig. 5 is a detail View in perspective of one end of the remaining hinge-plate. Fig. G is an end view in detail of a guide-ring employed in the construction of my device; and Fig. 7 is a view in detail of the central portion of the screw which carries said guidering.

Stimilar letters refertosimilar parts throughout the several views.

In forming my improved hinge I employ two hinge-plates a b, which are j ointedly connected as hereinafter described. The hingeplate a is provided at each end with an inwardly-extending and outwardly-projecting bracket arm o. of an approximately disk shape, the lower bracket arm having a rounded central opening 58 therein and the upper bracket-arm a squared opening b9. The front face of the plate ais, as shown at a2, de-

Fig.

pressed below its outer and end edges. The inner edge of the hinge-plate b has projecting outwardly therefrom, near the lower end thereof, a cup-shaped ring or disk b', which is provided with a central opening b2, the boundary of said opening being formed by a series of notches formed by the production therein of small inwardly-projecting teeth b3. Near the inner edge of the plate b is provided in that end thereof which is opposite that occupied by the ring b a dovetailed recess or incision, as indicated at b4. Into this dovetailed recess lits a rearwardly-projecting dovetail lug b5 of a cup-shaped bracket-ring h6, which corresponds in form with the ring h', and which, as prescribed for the latter, is provided with a central opening having notches, as indicated at o7, said notches corresponding in size and number with those of the ring b.

c represents a tubular screw, each extremity of which is provided with a squared head or nut-shaped termination c. The threaded portion of the hollow screw c is of such length as to extend between and abut against the inner cup-shaped faces of the rings b b, said screw being formed by the production in the periphery of the body thereof of a continuous spiral groove, as indicated at c2.

At the center of the length of the screw c and on opposite sides thereof its thread-groove c2 is provided with enlargements or osets c3. The upper portion of each of these enlargements leads from said thread-groove at such angle as to form an inclined shoulder d, from the end of which said offset curves outwardly and thence inwardly to again meet the threadgroove, forming thereby a curved or inclined shoulder d. Loosely surrounding the screw c is the ring-shaped inner end or head d5 of a traveling guide d2. Formed with the rear side of this head d5 and extending outwardly from one side thereof is a guide-arm d3, the outer end portion of which is provided with a shoulder or enlargement d4 on its forward face. The guide-ring d5 has projecting within its central opening from opposite points on its inner side two lugs f, which bear and travel in the thread-groove c2 of the screw c. Surrounding the screw c, between the guide-head d2 and the cup depression of the IOO ' being connected with the plate l) by the insertion of the dovetail lug b5 within the correspondingly-shaped recess b4. The plate a is then connected with the plate b by joining the inner edges of said plates and causing the 'rings b 196 to abut against the inner sides of the bracket-arms a. A central hinge-pin f G is then inserted vertically through the square opening b9 and thence through thehollow of the screw c and through the opening bs of the lower bracket-arm a. The upper end of the hinge-pin is provided with an enlarged head f', the lower side of which has, as shown, a square projection f2, which enters the correspondingly-shaped opening la in the upper bracket-arm and serves to prevent any rotation of the pin and thereby prevent any tendency toward the loosening or reversing of the nut f3, which, as shown, is screwed upon the lower threaded end of said pin. The parts being thus connected, the arm cl3 of the guide (l2 bears, as shown, in the depressed surface a2 of the plate a, said arm being prevented from being elevated from said plate by aiilling-plate g, which, as shown, is secured within the depression a2 and above the arm cl3. With the exception of the end portions thereof the plateg is of such width as to cover only that portion of the arm (Z3 which is between the head d5 and the shoulder d". Each of the hinge-plates a b is secured, respectively, to a door or door-frame in the usual manner.

It is obvious that the contact of the ringarm tls with the plate a will serve to prevent any upward movement of the guide-head upon the screw c when the latter is stationary. In connecting the screw ends with the notched ring-openings of the rings D b, as hereinbefore described, the squared heads of said screw are so set with said ring-notches as to bring the lugs f of the guide-head d at the desired height in the thread-groove above the offset or recess c3.

It is obvious that when the door to which one of said hinge-plates is attachedis opened the screw c will be rotated and that this rotation of the screw will result in not only driving downward the guide-head d5 until its lugs f enter the oisets c, but will result through said downward movement of said head in both twisting and compressing the coiled spring e and increasing the tension of the latter in proportion to the distance the door is moved. This combined pressure and twist imparted to the spring will serve to compensate for any injurious torsional strain on the spring, which, as is well known, results from the simple twisting movement. Thus it will be seen that the spring employed in my device will be durable and at all times retain its spring qualities. The lugs f having reached Vthe oiisets c3 of the screw, it is obvious that the tension of the spring e will serve to drive said lugs upward into engagement with the shoulder d of the offset, and the further outward movement of the door from its frame will be prevented by contact with the shoulder d ot said offset. It will readily be seen that with the lugs fin this position the'shoulders CZ d will serve, respectively, to prevent the door springing shut through the action of the spring and the further opening of said door. Itis obvious that this limitation of the opening movement of the door is dependent upon the distance traveled by the lugs fwithin the thread-groove before entering the olfsets and that the traveling distance of said lugs is dependent upon the position of the screw heads within the openings of the notched rings b b. The space between the plates g and a will serve as a guideway for the guide-arm cl3 during the movement above described.

From the construction herein shown and described it will be observed that by removing the screw and changing the positions of the heads thereof within the bearing-notches therefor the opening swinging movement of the door may be limited to any desired angle with the door-frame. It will also be seen that a hinge of this construction and operation will be of great utility in places where the arrangement of show-cases or other furniture is such as to admit of the door being opened only a certain distance, and that in all springactuated doors, gates, dsc., my improved hinge may be made to serve the purposes of a prop for holding the same open, which is often temporarily required. The guide-ring lugs f being within the recesses or offsets and in contact with the shoulder d, it is obvious that closing pressure upon the door will result in said lugs traveling down the incline of said shoulder until they enter the thread-groove, within which by pressure of the ring they will be driven upward until the door is closed.

Having now fully described my invention, what l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isu

l. In a spring-hinge, the combination, with the jointedly-connected hinge-plates a b, of a screw c, rigidly connected with plates l) and having oisets c3, forming, as described, shoulders (l d in said screw-thread grooves, guide d2 on said screw, lugs on said guide entering the thread-groove, a guide-arm d, sliding and supported against said plate, and a coiled spring surrounding said screw, as described, beneath the guide-head d, substantially as specified.

IOO

2. In a spring-hinge, the combination, with tering the screw-thread groove, a guide-arm 1o the hinge-plates d b, a fixed and detachable d3, sliding and supported against plate a, and ring projection on plate b, and notched opena coiled spring inclosing said screw between ings, as described, in said ring projections, of guide-head d2 and lower plate projection b',

a tubular screw c, having squared ends iitsubstantially as specified.

ting Within said ring-notches and having oi- ANDREW J. MCCAULEY. sets in the thread-grooves thereof, forming, In presence ofas described, shoulders d d', guide cl2, sur- C. C. SHEPHERD,

rounding said screw, lugsf on said guide en- BARTON GRIFFITH. 

